Clutch operating means for knitting machines



Feb. 20, 1962 H. E. CRAWFORD CLUTCH OPERATING MEANS FOR KNITTING MACHINES Filed June 26, 1958 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 FlE- l 27 20 /5 M INVENTOR.

Herman (Iva/72rd Feb. 20, 1962 H. E. CRAWFORD 3,021,599

CLUTCH OPERATING MEANS FOR KNITTING MACHINES Filed June 26, 1958 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fl:5 EL

Feb. 20, 1962 H. E. CRAWFORD 3,021,699

CLUTCH OPERATING MEANS FOR KNITTING MACHINES Filed June 26, 1958 s Sheets-Sheet :s

INVEN TOR. Her/nan 5 Crawford BYW/%%V Unite rates atet 3,021,699 Patented Feb. 20, 1962,

3,021,699 CLUTCH OPERATKNG MEANS FGR KNEITENG MACHINES Herman E. firawiord, Kernersville, Nil, assignor to Ihe H. E. @rawford Company, incorporated, Kernersvlile, N.C., a corporation of North Qmolina Filed June 26, 1958, Ser. No. 744,773 3 Qiaims. ((1 66-56) This invention relates to circular knitting machines and more particularly to means in such machines for disengaging the needle cylinder and transfer dial from the drive means to permit resetting of the pattern devices to starting position when a stocking is accidentally pressed oif before the knitting cycle of the stocking is completed.

in circular knitting machines and particularly such machines for making stockings with turned welts, the needle cylinder and transfer dial are geared to each other in order to accurately synchronize the operation of the needles and transfer bits. Although the transfer bits cooperate with the needles only during the knitting of the welt the transfer dial continues to idly operate with the needle cylinder throughout the remainder of the stocking knitting cycle. When an accidental press-oft" of the fabric occurs, due to the breaking of the yarn before the knitting cycle is completed, the machine is idly operated to advance the various pattern devices to starting position at which time the needle cylinder and transfer dial are also operated. In order to avoid damage to the needle latches by the latch ring at this time, it has been the practice to again feed yarn to the needles to knit the portion of the stocking corresponding to the remainder of the stocking knitting cycle which fabric was then discarded. Alternatively the transfer dial on which the latch ring is mounted was raised to inactive position to disengage the gears connecting the dial to the needle cylinder. When the latter procedure was followed, at the completion of the resetting operation, before re-engaging the operating gears for the dial, the gears very often had to be reset to insure the required accurate operating relationship between the transfer dial and needles. The first of these procedures resulted in a loss of both production and material While the second resulted in a loss of production and in some instances in damage to the machine when the operating gears were inaccurately reengaged.

It is therefore an object of the invention to provide means in a circular knitting machine to overcome the above and other objections encountered in resetting the various operating and control means of the machine to starting position.

Another object of the invention is to provide means in a circular knitting machine for effecting the resetting of the machine to starting position without disturbing the operating relation between the needle cylinder and transfer dial.

A further object of the invention is to provide means for disengaging the needle cylinder and transfer dial from the drive means of the machine whereby said needle cylinder and transfer dial will remain stationary during operation of the drive means to idly reset the pattern means of the machine.

With these and other objects in view which will become apparent from the following detailed description of the illustrative embodiment of the invention shown in the accompanying drawings, the invention resides in the novel elements, features of construction and cooperation of parts, as hereinafter more particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is an elevational view of a portion of a circular knitting machine having mechanism according to the instant invention applied thereto;

FIG. 2 is an elevational view on a reduced scale of a portion of the machine as seen from the left of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the mechanism at the left of FIG. 2 as seen in the direction of the arrows 33 on FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the mechanism of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a view taken substantially along the line 5-5 of FIG. 2, parts being shown in both plan and cross section; and

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 6-6 of FIG. 3.

Referring to FIG. 1 of the drawings there is shown a portion of a circular knitting machine of the type generally shown in my co-pending application Serial No. 586,587, filed May 22, 1956, now Patent No. 2,861,440 issued Nov. 25, 1958, for knitting tubular stockings, said machine including a needle cylinder It} having slots for pivoted latch needles (not shown), a sinker cap 1]., and a transfer dial indicated generally at 12 having transfer bits (not shown). The transfer dial 12 is carried in "a housing 13 which also supports the usual latch ring 14 of the machine. Both rotary and reciprocating move-' ments are transmitted to the needle cylinder 10 through a bevel gear 15' which is in meshing engagement with a bevel gear 16 on the needle cylinder. The bevel gear 15 is rotatably carried on a drive shaft 17 and the gear 15 carries a gear 18 having meshing engagement with a bevel gear 19 which forms a part of the usual driving means for operating the dial 12 in timed relation to the needle cylinder it? during the formation of the welt portions of the stockings. r

The bevel gear 15 is connected to the drive shaft 17 by a clutching or shagging means including a shogging disk 20 which is secured to one end of the drive shaft by a key 21 and a screw 22 (FIG. 5). The shogging disk 29 is provided with a pivoted latch or locking finger 23 having a nose portion 24 for engagement with notches 25 in a locking disk 26 secured to the bevel gear 15. The shogging means, which is similar to that fully shown and described in my Patent No. 2,757,526, issued August 7, 1956, forms no part of the instant invention but is merely shown as known means for connecting the needle cylinder It) to and disconnecting it from the drive shaft 17 of the machine.

During normal operation, rotary motion is transmitted to the needle cylinder it) and transfer dial 1?. by the drive shaft 17 to form the welt portion of the stocking and the cylinder is operated in both rotary and reciprocator'y motion to form the leg, foot, heel and toe portions of the stockings in a common manner. The shaft 17' is clutched directly or through a quadrant gear to a con stantly rotating main drive (not shown) of the machine for rotary or reciprocating motion under the control of g the pattern mechanism, as is conventional and as is shown for example in my said prior Patent 2,757,526. The heel and toe are preferably knitted on needles at opposite sides of the needle cylinder it) and accordingly in preparation for the knitting of the toe the locking finger 23 is dis engaged from one notch 25 of the locking disk and reengaged in another notch 25', the two notches being spaced one hundred and eighty degrees from each other. For this purpose the locking finger 23 is adapted to be operated by one arm 27 of a bell crank 30 which is pivotally mounted on a pin or shaft 31 carried in fixed position in the machine. A second arm 32 of the bell crank 3% is adapted to be engaged by a lower arm 35 of a pattern lever 35 which is mounted for pivotal movement on a rod or shaft 37 mounted in fixed position on the machine (FIGS. 2 and 3). A follower portion 40 of the arm 35 is in the path of and engageable by a row of earns 41 on a pattern drum 42. The pattern drum 42 is similar in structure and operation to the drum 390 of said Patent No. 2,757,526 which is provided to control various functions of the machine throughout a complete stocking knitting cycle. The drum 42 is driven from the constantly rotating main drive of the machine in a manner not disclosed herein but substantially as shown and described in my said prior patent in connection with drum 390. Hence its operation, as in the case of the drum 390 of my prior patent, is independent of the operation of the dial and cylinder operating means. When a cam 41 is moved beneath arm 35 of the lever 36, the lever 36 is moved counterclock wise, as viewed in FIG. 2, and the bell crank 39 is turned counterclockwise, as viewed in FIG. 5, about the axis of the shaft 31 to engage and operate the locking finger 23 to remove the nose 24 thereof from a notch 25 in the locking disk 26. When the cam 41 is again moved from engagement with the arm 35 the locking finger 23 is re-engaged in one of the notches 25 in the locking disk 26 and the bell crank 34 is returned to its position of FIG. by a spring biased detent 43 carried in the end of the shaft 17 for engagement with the locking finger.

Normally the needle cylinder and transfer dial 12 remain in operation throughout the stocking knitting cycle in order to maintain the needles and transfer bits in correct operating relation although the transfer bits are held inactive in the dial after the formation of the welt. Preferably it is also desirable to maintain the operating relation between the needle cylinder and transfer dial during operation of the machine to reset the pattern devices following the accidental press-off of a stocking' fabric. In accordance with the instant invention and in order to avoid damage to the latches of the needles by the latch ring during the resetting operation, the looking finger 23 is adapted to be disengaged from the locking disk 26 by means other than the pattern drum 42 to disengage the gear from the drive shaft 17 to stop the movement of the needle cylinder and transfer dial.

while permitting the other operating parts of the machine to complete their cycle. For this purpose, the pattern lever 36 has an upper arm 45 which is adapted to be engaged by one end 46 of a lever 47 pivotally mounted intermediate its ends on a stud or post 5i carried in a bed plate 53 forming a part of the machine frame (FIGS. 3 and 4). Cooperating with the other end of the lever 47 is a latch 51 which is pivotally mounted on a stud 52 carried in a bracket 55 mounted in fixed position on the bed plate 53. During normal operation of the machine, the lever 47 is held in inactive position against a pin 56 carried in the bed plate 53 by a spring 57 which is connected between the lever and the bracket 55 as shown in FIGS. 4 and 6. When it is desired to disengage the locking finger 23 from the locking disk 26, to permit a resetting operation of the machine as above set forth, the lever 47 is turned clockwise from its position of FIG. 4 to permit a shoulder 60 formed on the latch 51 to drop in back of the lever to thereby maintain it in the clockwise position. Following completion of the resetting operation, the latch 51 is raised to dis-,

engage the shoulder 60 from the lever 47 to permit the spring 57 to return the lever to its inactive position and the pattern lever 36 and locking finger 23 are returned to operating position by the detent 43 as hereinbefore set forth.

It will be obvious from the foregoing that the mechanism of the instant invention provides a means for disengaging the needle cylinder and transfer dial from the driving means of the machine whereby the driving means may continue in operation to efiect resetting of the pattern devices to starting positions without disrupting the operating relationship between the needle cylinder and the transfer dial.

Of course, the improvements specifically shown and described by which the above results are obtained, can be changed and modified in various Ways without departing from the invention herein disclosed and hereinafter claimed.

I claim:

1. In a circular knitting machine having a needle cylinder, a transfer dial, operating means for said needle cylinder and transfer dial, a driving means, pattern means in driven relationship to said driving means, a clutch for connecting said operating means for said needle cylinder and transfer dial to said driving means, means for operating said clutch to disconnect said needle cylinder and transfer dial operating means from said driving means independently of said relationship between said pattern means and driving means including a pattern lever operated by said pattern means, in combination with a second means for operating said pattern lever independently of said pattern means.

2. In a circular knitting machine having a needle cylinder, a transfer dial, operating means for said needle cylinder and transfer dial, a driving means, pattern means in driven relationship to said driving shaft, a clutch for connecting said operating means for said needle cylinder and transfer dial to said driving means, means actuated by said pattern means for operating said clutch to disconnect said needle cylinder and transfer dial operating means from said driving means independent of said relationship between said pattern means and driving means in combination with a second means movable between an inactive position and an active position in which it operates said clutch operating means to disconnect said operating means for said needle cylinder and transfer dial from said driving means.

3. In a circular knitting machine having a needle cylinder, a transfer dial, operating means for said needle cylinder and transfer dial, a driving means, pattern means in driven relationship to said driving means, a clutch for connecting said operating means for said needle cylinder and transfer dial to said driving means, means actuated by said pattern means for operating said clutch to disconnect said needle cylinder and transfer dial operat ing means from said driving means independent of said relationship between said pattern means and driving means in combination with a second means for operating said clutch operating means independently of said pattern means including a lever movable between an inactive position and an active position in which it operates said clutch operating means, spring means for holding said lever in said inactive position, and latch means for holding said lever in said active position.

References (Iited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 700,730 Brinton May 27, 1902 1,695,734 La Montague Dec. 18, 1928 1,893,589 La Montague Ian. 10, 1933 

